Kinsale & Old Head · Ireland · Reef
The Sovereigns
Two big rocks near shore with a swim-through grotto lined in jewel anemones
The Sovereigns are two islands, the Big and the Small Sovereign, that are little more than very large rocks lying close to the shore off Kinsale. Depths around them are about 12 to 15 m, which suits divers of every grade, and the Big Sovereign is a sea bird sanctuary where many sea birds nest.
Also known as Sovereign Islands, Big Sovereign, Small Sovereign.
Where it is and how deep
51.6758° N, 8.4499° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Depths around both rocks are approximately 12 to 15 m. The best dive on the Small Sovereign is the Grotto at its eastern end, which takes a bit of searching for; jewel anemones line the walls at its entrance, and it is possible to swim in one end and out the other.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Kinsale & Old Head: Spring and summer bring the migrants, the egg-guarding lumpsuckers and the hydroid bloom; the sea is coldest in January.
Dive videos
Big Sovereign · Oceanaddicts Diving on YouTube
Sources
- Scuba Diving Sites Kinsale — OceanAddicts
- OpenStreetMap geocoding — OpenStreetMap
More dive sites in Kinsale & Old Head
Reef
Anglerfish and egg-guarding lumpsuckers on reef inside the Old Head
Broken-up 1892 liner with swim-throughs under the Old Head cliffs
Pinnacle
Offshore rocks topping out at 22 m, named for their plentiful ling
Calm sheltered bay used for first scuba dives
Sheltered cove that deepens to about 12 m at high tide
Sand slope
Sheltered sandy training bay with sand eels, shelving away from the slip
Wreck
Dutch trawler wreck to potter around under the Big Sovereign
Similar dives elsewhere
A rock you can swim right around, with a resident wolf-fish
Columnar rock rising from a sand floor, best in the shallows
Often 6–10 wolf eels on a single dive
A rock just off Porthkerris beach, reached without a boat